Acts 28
28
Acts 28
1¶ And when they were escaped, then we knew that the island was called Melita. {or Malta}
2And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness; for they kindled a great fire and received all of us because of the present rain and because of the cold.
3And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out of the heat and fastened on his hand.
4And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet vengeance does not suffer him to live.
5And he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm.
6But they were waiting to see when he should have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly; but after they had waited a great while and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
7In the same quarters were possessions of a principal man of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and lodged us three days courteously.
8And it came to pass that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of dysentery, to whom Paul entered in and prayed and laid his hands on him and healed him.
9So when this was done, others also, who had diseases in the island, came and were healed,
10who also honoured us with many gifts; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.
11¶ And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose ensign was Castor and Pollux.
12And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.
13And having gone around, we came to Rhegium, and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli,
14where we found brethren, who asked us to tarry with them seven days, and so we went toward Rome.
15And from there, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and The Three Taverns whom when Paul saw, he thanked God and took courage.
16And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the praetorian prefect, but Paul was allowed to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
17¶ And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the principals of the Jews together, and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,
18who, when they had examined me, would have let me go because there was no cause of death in me.
19But when the Jews spoke against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar, not that I had anything to accuse my nation of.
20For this cause therefore I have called for you, to see you and to speak with you: because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.
21And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came showed or spoke any harm of thee.
22But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest; for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against.
23¶ And when they had appointed him a day, many came to him into his lodging, to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, procuring to persuade them of that concerning Jesus, the Christ, out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets, from morning until evening.
24And some believed the things which were spoken, and some did not believe.
25And when they did not agree among themselves, they departed, after Paul had spoken this word, Well spoke the Holy Spirit by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers,
26saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see and not perceive;
27for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and should be converted and I should heal them.
28Be it known, therefore, unto you that this saving health of God is sent unto the Gentiles and that they will hear it.
29And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves.
30¶ And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house and received all that came in unto him,
31preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all liberty, without hindrance.
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Acts 28: JUB
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International
Acts of the Apostles 28
28
Paul on the Island of Malta
1Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. 2The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.
3As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. 4The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” 5But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. 6The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.
7Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. 8As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. 9Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. 10As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.
Paul Arrives at Rome
11It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island—an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods#28:11 The twin gods were the Roman gods Castor and Pollux. as its figurehead. 12Our first stop was Syracuse,#28:12 Syracuse was on the island of Sicily. where we stayed three days. 13From there we sailed across to Rhegium.#28:13 Rhegium was on the southern tip of Italy. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli. 14There we found some believers,#28:14 Greek brothers. who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.
15The brothers and sisters#28:15a Greek brothers. in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum#28:15b The Forum was about 43 miles (70 kilometers) from Rome. on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns.#28:15c The Three Taverns was about 35 miles (57 kilometers) from Rome. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.
16When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.
Paul Preaches at Rome under Guard
17Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. 18The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence. 19But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people. 20I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel—the Messiah—has already come.”
21They replied, “We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here. 22But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”
23So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. 24Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. 25And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,
26‘Go and say to this people:
When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
27For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’#28:26-27 Isa 6:9-10 (Greek version).
28So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”#28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29, And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, greatly disagreeing with each other.
30For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense.#28:30 Or in his own rented quarters. He welcomed all who visited him, 31boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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